Anyone misleading the public and describing themselves as a nurse without the relevant qualifications and registration will be committing a crime, under new measures announced by the government to protect the title ‘nurse’ in law.
The move will help to boost protections and safety for both patients and staff, driving up standards and improving patient experience across the NHS through the government’s Plan for Change.
Currently, anyone – including those struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for serious misconduct or criminal convictions – can call themselves a nurse. This can result in the public thinking they’re getting advice and care from an expert professional like a nurse when they aren’t.
Previous reported examples of the job title being misused include someone calling herself a nurse at a large public event after being struck off and another reportedly masquerading as an aesthetic nurse.
There will be exemptions for relevant professions like veterinary nurse, dental nurse and nursery nurse, where the title ‘nurse’ is legitimately used.
The government is listening to nurses and recognises they are the backbone of the NHS, and today’s announcement follows campaigning by unions for the government to act on the issue, as well as by Dawn Butler MP who introduced a Ten-Minute Rule Bill earlier this year to protect the title ‘nurse’.
Through the Plan for Change, the government is driving forward vital reform to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future. This year, a refreshed workforce plan will also be published to ensure the health service has the right workforce in the right place at the right time.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said
Nurses carry out lifesaving work every day, and I am determined we do everything we can to support them and safeguard trust in the profession.
I’ve been appalled to read reports of so-called nurses spreading dangerous misinformation and harming the public.
This new legislation will help crack down on bogus beauticians and conspiracy theorists masquerading as nurses, and those attempting to mislead patients.
The British people hold nurses in the highest regard, and we trust them in our most vulnerable moments, so patients need to know they are genuinely being seen by a nurse. Now they will.
This is part of our Plan for Change to fix the NHS and gets the right staff working in the right place at the right time.
Only the title “registered nurse” is currently protected in law. The new legislation will change that – ensuring that only those individuals registered with the NMC can legally use the title. Anyone violating this will be committing a criminal offence and could face a hefty fine running into the thousands of pounds.
There have been previous reports of bogus nurses misleadingly using the title. One ran a cosmetic clinic offering Botox and dermal filler treatments for several years despite not being registered with the NMC.
Another gave a speech at a Covid conspiracy rally which likened NHS nurses and doctors to war criminals – spreading misinformation about vaccines and bringing her former colleagues into disrepute. She continued to call herself a nurse despite being struck off by the NMC.
A previous Freedom of Information request showed that across 93% of all NHS trusts, there were more than 8,000 people with the term “nurse” in their job title who had no registered nursing qualifications. Although these people are supervised and providing important care, their job titles can cause confusion. Some, including nursery nurses, will be exempt under this new legislation
Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said
The trust that people place in registered nurses is based on the rigorous training and education required to be registered as a nurse which gives us the skills and knowledge to deliver high quality, safe and personalised care.
Nurses value this trust and protecting the title of nurse can give added confidence and clarity to patients and the public on who is delivering their care and the skills and knowledge they have.
There are already various safeguards in place to deter people from pretending to be a nurse. The most serious cases would be captured by fraud offences and depending on the case they can also be prosecuted for other more serious offences like causing grievous bodily harm, assault, or manslaughter.
The new legislation – expected to be laid this Parliament – will help to strengthen those existing safeguards.
Registered nurses go through high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes and complete a process called revalidation every three years – ensuring they can continually update their skills set. The new measures reflect that.
Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive , said
This is an important moment for our safety-critical profession, after years of campaigning.
A change in the law will recognise the knowledge, professionalism and clinical expertise that comes with being a registered nurse. It will provide better legal protections for nursing professionals and reassurance to patients.
Crucially, this is an opportunity to begin the journey to properly valuing nursing as a profession, where respect, reward and investment match the crucial nature of our work.
Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, Chief Executive at The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing, said
Nurses and the millions of people they care for will benefit by this proposed change in legislation.
This is a patient safety issue that the QICN has been campaigning on for some time.
People need confidence that when the person caring for them is described as a nurse, that person really is a qualified and registered nurse.
Paul Rees MBE, Interim Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said
The public should always feel confident that anyone using the title ‘nurse’ is a registered professional with all the safeguards that brings.
We look forward to working with the government and our stakeholders to deliver on it. In the meantime, it is already an offence for somebody to hold themselves out as a registered nurse when they are not.
Helga Pile, UNISON Head of Health, said
Nurses and other NHS workers rightly enjoy a high level of trust because of the brilliant and important work they do.
Charlatans and conspiracy theorists mustn’t be allowed to harm patients or damage nurses’ reputation and good standing with the public.
It’s only right that anyone that tries to will now feel the full force of the law.
Rachel Power, Chief Executive of The Patients Association, said
We welcome this commitment to ensuring patients know who is treating them and offering healthcare advice, and that those professionals are properly qualified. With health misinformation increasingly common, it’s more important than ever that patients can trust the expertise of those caring for them.
Alison Morton, CEO, Institute of Health Visiting, said
The Institute of Health Visiting fully supports the campaign to protect the title “nurse” in legislation. This is urgently needed to protect the public and provide assurance that the person providing their care has the qualifications, knowledge, skills, expertise and professionalism to deliver safe and effective care. Nursing is a safety-critical workforce. And, in our view, there is only one clear path forward, the current gap in legislation needs to be closed as a matter of urgency.
Professor Greta Westwood CBE PhD RN, CEO of the Florence Nightingale Foundation, said
We welcome this recognition of the importance of the nursing role. Nurses are skilled and highly trained professionals, playing a key leadership role in the health and social care sectors, particularly around speaking out on patient safety and workforce challenges.
This International Nurses Day, we are coming together to celebrate the incredible work that nurses do across the UK and globally, and we support the government taking this next step, working with the UK regulator, to protect our nurses and those we serve.
Notes to editors
- The department will also establish the exemptions where ‘nurse’ can still be used as part of a professional title.
- The title ‘nurse’ is already used across multiple professions (e.g. registered nurses, dental nurses, nursery nurses and veterinary nurses)
- We expect the new protection of title offence to be a summary offence. Where a person is found guilty of an offence on summary conviction they will be liable to a fine across the UK.
- These changes, which require legislative change, will be implemented within this Parliament as part of the government’s commitment to reform the regulation of health and care professionals in the UK.
